Mobile App Development Sydney
Mobile App Development Sydney
With a CTO making every technical call
With a CTO making every technical call
I'm Sam Halcrow. I'm based in Sydney, near the QVB. My team builds iOS and Android apps, along with the backend and admin tools behind them. I lead every project, whether it's a new app, a stalled one or one already in the app stores.
I'm Sam Halcrow. I'm based in Sydney, near the QVB. My team builds iOS and Android apps, along with the backend and admin tools behind them. I lead every project, whether it's a new app, a stalled one or one already in the app stores.
FRACTIONAL CTO
exceeded our expectations
Rouad El-Ayoubi, Alliance Project Group
FRACTIONAL CTO
a trusted partner at every stage of delivery
Arun Prasad, AIWhispr
NEW BUILD
a product that gave us real advantage
Michael Soukie, Scafflinq
NEW BUILD
a joy to work with
Trent Carney, MyCanary
NEW BUILD
a way we wouldn’t be able to do on our own
Thomas Roper, Lendlease
FRACTIONAL CTO
continue to further our growth
Michael Kalucy, Workhouse
After working with 253 companies over 16 years
What I've learned about why mobile app projects go wrong
Dear business owner,
Apps look simple from the outside. But behind every screen there's a backend, an admin panel, app store rules and a release process. Most app projects go wrong in the parts you can't see.
Some people come to me with quotes for a new app. Some are halfway through a build that's gone off track. Some have an app in the stores that keeps crashing, or that customers don't use.
Most of them hit the same problem. They paid for work they couldn't check.
You can't read the code. You can't tell a good technical decision from an easy one. So you hear "it's on track" until it isn't.
I've worked with 253 business owners. Many came to me after a project went wrong. With apps, it usually goes like this.
Month one. The screen designs look great. It feels like progress.
Month three. The updates get vague. You hear "refactoring" and "API issues". You don't ask what they mean.
Month five. The bills are about 40% over the quote. The launch date has moved twice.
Month eight. Apple rejects the app. Or it goes live, and the reviews mention crashes.
Month twelve. You're getting quotes to rebuild it.
Most of these projects skipped a few basic questions. I ask them on almost every first call:
Does the quote include the backend and admin tools, or just the app?
Who handles App Store and Google Play submissions and updates?
What will the backend cost to run each month once you have real users?
If you change developers, can someone else pick up your code?
Who fixes it when a phone update breaks something, and what does it cost?
Most owners haven't had clear answers to these. Explaining them is the developer's job.
Many people try to protect themselves with a long contract. I've read hundreds of them. They rarely help.
A contract can't tell you which option to pick when your developer asks. A plan written in month one is out of date by month three. What a contract does decide is who pays when things go wrong. Usually, that's you.
What helps is someone on your side who understands the technical decisions. Someone who says no when it matters. Someone who weighs up cost, risk and growth for you.
That's what I do. The free audit is the first step.
Sam Halcrow
Fractional CTO
Dear business owner,
Apps look simple from the outside. But behind every screen there's a backend, an admin panel, app store rules and a release process. Most app projects go wrong in the parts you can't see.
Some people come to me with quotes for a new app. Some are halfway through a build that's gone off track. Some have an app in the stores that keeps crashing, or that customers don't use.
Most of them hit the same problem. They paid for work they couldn't check.
You can't read the code. You can't tell a good technical decision from an easy one. So you hear "it's on track" until it isn't.
I've worked with 253 business owners. Many came to me after a project went wrong. With apps, it usually goes like this.
Month one. The screen designs look great. It feels like progress.
Month three. The updates get vague. You hear "refactoring" and "API issues". You don't ask what they mean.
Month five. The bills are about 40% over the quote. The launch date has moved twice.
Month eight. Apple rejects the app. Or it goes live, and the reviews mention crashes.
Month twelve. You're getting quotes to rebuild it.
Most of these projects skipped a few basic questions. I ask them on almost every first call:
Does the quote include the backend and admin tools, or just the app?
Who handles App Store and Google Play submissions and updates?
What will the backend cost to run each month once you have real users?
If you change developers, can someone else pick up your code?
Who fixes it when a phone update breaks something, and what does it cost?
Most owners haven't had clear answers to these. Explaining them is the developer's job.
Many people try to protect themselves with a long contract. I've read hundreds of them. They rarely help.
A contract can't tell you which option to pick when your developer asks. A plan written in month one is out of date by month three. What a contract does decide is who pays when things go wrong. Usually, that's you.
What helps is someone on your side who understands the technical decisions. Someone who says no when it matters. Someone who weighs up cost, risk and growth for you.
That's what I do. The free audit is the first step.
Sam Halcrow
Fractional CTO
The fixed-price trap
Agencies are paid to build, not to get you a result.
A fixed price and fixed scope can feel safe. But it is the most expensive way to build software. From the very first meeting, requirements expand, and from the very first release, iteration begins. A fixed-scope contract has room for neither, so changes get billed as extras.
What the fixed-price agency does
Quote a fixed scope before they understand what you need
Add extra to the quote to cover unknowns
Build what was agreed in month one, even if it's no longer right
Charge for every change request
Treat improvements after launch as out of scope
Move the risk to the person least able to see it coming — you
What I do instead
Work out what you actually need before giving you a quote
Plan for the scope to change
Budget for improvements after the first release
Charge for the work that's actually done
Show you progress and decisions every week
After 16 years and around 250 engagements, I've seen what fixed price does to a project, so as your CTO I make the calls before anything is built
“Sam took the time to understand our business and knew all the tech we needed. It was a pleasure to work with him and his team as they acted as an extension of our team.”
Luke Schwigtenberg
Head of R&D, Banktech
“In a short period of time, Sam demonstrated an exceptional ability to align the right technical expertise with our specific needs.”
Tim Buric
CTO, Agilyx
FREE GUIDE
NEVER AGAIN
Not sure what a fair quote looks like? Never Again is my free guide to judging custom software projects before you sign.
The fixed-price trap
Agencies are paid to build, not to get you a result.
A fixed price and fixed scope can feel safe. But it is the most expensive way to build software. From the very first meeting, requirements expand, and from the very first release, iteration begins. A fixed-scope contract has room for neither, so changes get billed as extras.
What the fixed-price agency does
Quote a fixed scope before they understand what you need
Add extra to the quote to cover unknowns
Build what was agreed in month one, even if it's no longer right
Charge for every change request
Treat improvements after launch as out of scope
Move the risk to the person least able to see it coming — you
What I do instead
Work out what you actually need before giving you a quote
Plan for the scope to change
Budget for improvements after the first release
Charge for the work that's actually done
Show you progress and decisions every week
After 16 years and around 250 engagements, I've seen what fixed price does to a project, so as your CTO I make the calls before anything is built
“Sam took the time to understand our business and knew all the tech we needed. It was a pleasure to work with him and his team as they acted as an extension of our team.”
Luke Schwigtenberg
Head of R&D, Banktech
“In a short period of time, Sam demonstrated an exceptional ability to align the right technical expertise with our specific needs.”
Tim Buric
CTO, Agilyx
FREE GUIDE
NEVER AGAIN
Not sure what a fair quote looks like? Never Again is my free guide to judging custom software projects before you sign.
The fixed-price trap
Agencies are paid to build, not to get you a result.
A fixed price and fixed scope can feel safe. But it is the most expensive way to build software. From the very first meeting, requirements expand, and from the very first release, iteration begins. A fixed-scope contract has room for neither, so changes get billed as extras.
What the fixed-price agency does
Quote a fixed scope before they understand what you need
Add extra to the quote to cover unknowns
Build what was agreed in month one, even if it's no longer right
Charge for every change request
Treat improvements after launch as out of scope
Move the risk to the person least able to see it coming — you
What I do instead
Work out what you actually need before giving you a quote
Plan for the scope to change
Budget for improvements after the first release
Charge for the work that's actually done
Show you progress and decisions every week
After 16 years and around 250 engagements, I've seen what fixed price does to a project, so as your CTO I make the calls before anything is built
“Sam took the time to understand our business and knew all the tech we needed. It was a pleasure to work with him and his team as they acted as an extension of our team.”
Luke Schwigtenberg
Head of R&D, Banktech
“In a short period of time, Sam demonstrated an exceptional ability to align the right technical expertise with our specific needs.”
Tim Buric
CTO, Agilyx
FREE GUIDE
NEVER AGAIN
Not sure what a fair quote looks like? Never Again is my free guide to judging custom software projects before you sign.
What's missing
You need someone making the calls a CTO makes, without the CTO-sized cost
I make those calls with you on every project. And I keep you up to date. Here’s what that looks like each month.
Performance
A clear monthly report
What was built, what it cost and what changed.
Monthly close
0%
0%
Decisions made early
Scope, budget and trade-offs agreed before money is spent.
Action plan
0
0
Actions
A clear next step
What to do next, what to stop, and why.
Cash runway
0 mo
0 mo
Invalid SVG
Risks flagged early
Security, supplier and cost risks raised before they become problems.
What's missing
You need someone making the calls a CTO makes, without the CTO-sized cost
I make those calls with you on every project. And I keep you up to date. Here’s what that looks like each month.
Performance
A clear monthly report
What was built, what it cost and what changed.
Monthly close
0%
0%
Decisions made early
Scope, budget and trade-offs agreed before money is spent.
Action plan
0
0
Actions
A clear next step
What to do next, what to stop, and why.
Cash runway
0 mo
0 mo
Invalid SVG
Risks flagged early
Security, supplier and cost risks raised before they become problems.
What's missing
You need someone making the calls a CTO makes, without the CTO-sized cost
I make those calls with you on every project. And I keep you up to date. Here’s what that looks like each month.
Performance
A clear monthly report
What was built, what it cost and what changed.
Monthly close
0%
0%
Decisions made early
Scope, budget and trade-offs agreed before money is spent.
Action plan
0
0
Actions
A clear next step
What to do next, what to stop, and why.
Cash runway
0 mo
0 mo
Invalid SVG
Risks flagged early
Security, supplier and cost risks raised before they become problems.
What it looks like
The problem most people find themselves in is they don't have a technical leader on their side.
Now you do.
Technical strategy and roadmap
What to build first, what to leave out, and what it should cost - all written before anyone quotes you.
Quote and vendor evaluation
I read the proposals and contracts and tell you which to trust.
Decisions before code is written
Custom or off the shelf, what goes into version one and how it connects to what you already use. I'll help you make the decision early, with your interests in mind.
Running the build
Weekly check-ins, releases in stages and your staff using it early. You see progress every week.
Code, security and cost reviews
Whether what's been built is any good, whether it's secure and what it will cost to run, with a clear list of what to fix first.
Hiring and structuring your tech team
Who you need, how to vet them, and how to set up the team so it works without you chasing it.
What you get
1
Software that works after launch
And keeps working without needing a rebuild a year later.
2
Progress you can see
Weekly updates you can follow.
3
Costs you can explain
You approve costs before they're spent, and you know what they're for.
4
Confidence in your decisions
You make each decision with a technical leader on your side.
What it looks like
The problem most people find themselves in is they don't have a technical leader on their side.
Now you do.
Technical strategy and roadmap
What to build first, what to leave out, and what it should cost - all written before anyone quotes you.
Quote and vendor evaluation
I read the proposals and contracts and tell you which to trust.
Decisions before code is written
Custom or off the shelf, what goes into version one and how it connects to what you already use. I'll help you make the decision early, with your interests in mind.
Running the build
Weekly check-ins, releases in stages and your staff using it early. You see progress every week.
Code, security and cost reviews
Whether what's been built is any good, whether it's secure and what it will cost to run, with a clear list of what to fix first.
Hiring and structuring your tech team
Who you need, how to vet them, and how to set up the team so it works without you chasing it.
What you get
1
Software that works after launch
And keeps working without needing a rebuild a year later.
2
Progress you can see
Weekly updates you can follow.
3
Costs you can explain
You approve costs before they're spent, and you know what they're for.
4
Confidence in your decisions
You make each decision with a technical leader on your side.
What it looks like
The problem most people find themselves in is they don't have a technical leader on their side.
Now you do.
Technical strategy and roadmap
What to build first, what to leave out, and what it should cost - all written before anyone quotes you.
Quote and vendor evaluation
I read the proposals and contracts and tell you which to trust.
Decisions before code is written
Custom or off the shelf, what goes into version one and how it connects to what you already use. I'll help you make the decision early, with your interests in mind.
Running the build
Weekly check-ins, releases in stages and your staff using it early. You see progress every week.
Code, security and cost reviews
Whether what's been built is any good, whether it's secure and what it will cost to run, with a clear list of what to fix first.
Hiring and structuring your tech team
Who you need, how to vet them, and how to set up the team so it works without you chasing it.
What you get
1
Software that works after launch
And keeps working without needing a rebuild a year later.
2
Progress you can see
Weekly updates you can follow.
3
Costs you can explain
You approve costs before they're spent, and you know what they're for.
4
Confidence in your decisions
You make each decision with a technical leader on your side.
Client testimonials
Hear it from our clients
ONGOING SUPPORT
Angela Bevitt-Parr
National Marketing Manager
AWS Australia
FRACTIONAL CTO
Tim Buric
Chief Technology Officer
Agilyx & MUNIvers
ONGOING SUPPORT
Kelvin Kenney
Chief Executive Officer
Bow Wow Meow
NEW BUILD
“Sam guided us through the design and development process in a way we wouldn’t be able to do on our own. We’re very happy to partner with him and his team.”
Thomas Roper
Engineer, Lendlease
FRACTIONAL CTO
“Sam has a keen understanding of our needs. His team's technical knowledge enables them to deploy solutions that continue to further our growth.”
Michael Kalucy
Managing Director, Workhouse
FRACTIONAL CTO
“Sam and his team operate as a trusted partner at every stage of delivery. They’re pivotal in bringing engineering maturity to coordinate and execute large, complex projects.”
Arun Prasad
Founder, AIWhispr
NEW BUILD
“We spotted a market gap, and Sam helped us seize it quickly. His team built a product that gave us real advantage. “We spotted a market gap, and Sam helped us seize it quickly. His team built a product that gave us real advantage.”
Michael Soukie
Founder, Scafflinq
FRACTIONAL CTO
“From the concept design meeting, Sam exceeded our expectations. He understood what our needs were, and his engineers worked quickly from brief to going live.”
Rouad El-Ayoubi
Managing Director, Alliance Project Group
NEW BUILD
“Sam took a concept and together with his team, turned it into a product we’re genuinely proud of. Their passion makes them a joy to work with.”
Trent Carney
Founder, MyCanary
Client testimonials
Hear it from our clients
ONGOING SUPPORT
Angela Bevitt-Parr
National Marketing Manager
AWS Australia
FRACTIONAL CTO
Tim Buric
Chief Technology Officer
Agilyx & MUNIvers
ONGOING SUPPORT
Kelvin Kenney
Chief Executive Officer
Bow Wow Meow
NEW BUILD
“Sam guided us through the design and development process in a way we wouldn’t be able to do on our own. We’re very happy to partner with him and his team.”
Thomas Roper
Engineer, Lendlease
FRACTIONAL CTO
“From the concept design meeting, Sam exceeded our expectations. He understood what our needs were, and his engineers worked quickly from brief to going live.”
Rouad El-Ayoubi
Managing Director, Alliance Project Group
NEW BUILD
“We spotted a market gap, and Sam helped us seize it quickly. His team built a product that gave us real advantage. “We spotted a market gap, and Sam helped us seize it quickly. His team built a product that gave us real advantage.”
Michael Soukie
Founder, Scafflinq
FRACTIONAL CTO
“Sam and his team operate as a trusted partner at every stage of delivery. They’re pivotal in bringing engineering maturity to coordinate and execute large, complex projects.”
Arun Prasad
Founder, AIWhispr
FRACTIONAL CTO
“Sam has a keen understanding of our needs. His team's technical knowledge enables them to deploy solutions that continue to further our growth.”
Michael Kalucy
Managing Director, Workhouse
NEW BUILD
“Sam took a concept and together with his team, turned it into a product we’re genuinely proud of. Their passion makes them a joy to work with.”
Trent Carney
Founder, MyCanary
Client testimonials
Hear it from our clients
ONGOING SUPPORT
Angela Bevitt-Parr
National Marketing Manager
AWS Australia
FRACTIONAL CTO
Tim Buric
Chief Technology Officer
Agilyx & MUNIvers
ONGOING SUPPORT
Kelvin Kenney
Chief Executive Officer
Bow Wow Meow
NEW BUILD
“Sam guided us through the design and development process in a way we wouldn’t be able to do on our own. We’re very happy to partner with him and his team.”
Thomas Roper
Engineer, Lendlease
FRACTIONAL CTO
“Sam and his team operate as a trusted partner at every stage of delivery. They’re pivotal in bringing engineering maturity to coordinate and execute large, complex projects.”
Arun Prasad
Founder, AIWhispr
FRACTIONAL CTO
“From the concept design meeting, Sam exceeded our expectations. He understood what our needs were, and his engineers worked quickly from brief to going live.”
Rouad El-Ayoubi
Managing Director, Alliance Project Group
FRACTIONAL CTO
“Sam has a keen understanding of our needs. His team's technical knowledge enables them to deploy solutions that continue to further our growth.”
Michael Kalucy
Managing Director, Workhouse
NEW BUILD
“We spotted a market gap, and Sam helped us seize it quickly. His team built a product that gave us real advantage. “We spotted a market gap, and Sam helped us seize it quickly. His team built a product that gave us real advantage.”
Michael Soukie
Founder, Scafflinq
NEW BUILD
“Sam took a concept and together with his team, turned it into a product we’re genuinely proud of. Their passion makes them a joy to work with.”
Trent Carney
Founder, MyCanary
Case studies
Every software project starts somewhere different
PROJECT RECOVERY
Mainland Civil
Workforce app project
We took over Mainland Civil’s driver app from an offshore developer in 5 days, patched its security risks and moved it into an account they own
ONGOING SUPPORT
Acciona
WORKFORCE APP PROJECT
Acciona’s Westconnex field crews became 70% more productive with the tunnel mapping app we built and supported for 7 years
NEW BUILD
The Banktech Group
Customer app project
The cashless wallet app we built for Banktech was adopted by 47% of venue patrons within 6 months, beating a 40% target
Case studies
Every software project starts somewhere different
PROJECT RECOVERY
Mainland Civil
Workforce app project
We took over Mainland Civil’s driver app from an offshore developer in 5 days, patched its security risks and moved it into an account they own
ONGOING SUPPORT
Acciona
WORKFORCE APP PROJECT
Acciona’s Westconnex field crews became 70% more productive with the tunnel mapping app we built and supported for 7 years
NEW BUILD
The Banktech Group
Customer app project
The cashless wallet app we built for Banktech was adopted by 47% of venue patrons within 6 months, beating a 40% target
Case studies
Every software project starts somewhere different
PROJECT RECOVERY
Mainland Civil
Workforce app project
We took over Mainland Civil’s driver app from an offshore developer in 5 days, patched its security risks and moved it into an account they own
ONGOING SUPPORT
Acciona
WORKFORCE APP PROJECT
Acciona’s Westconnex field crews became 70% more productive with the tunnel mapping app we built and supported for 7 years
NEW BUILD
The Banktech Group
Customer app project
The cashless wallet app we built for Banktech was adopted by 47% of venue patrons within 6 months, beating a 40% target
PROJECT RECOVERY
OzSnow
Ski holidays, 18 booking sites · Project recovery
Outages per month, ski season
0 after
When I took over
100%
uptime, ~40% lower hosting
Took over a booking platform that crashed every peak weekend. Isolated each site, made it scale on demand, and it ran the whole season without an outage.
“Halcrow took over an environment that was fragile and opaque, and made it resilient fast. A full season of 100% uptime.”
Matt Goodall, CEO, OzSnow
0
Outages all ski season
~40%
Lower hosting cost
NEW BUILD
Agrana
Food manufacturing, SAP-connected · New build
Time to price a customer order
–95%
Software went live
15 min
down from half a day
Sales priced orders by hand from SAP exports. We agreed the goal first (same-hour quotes), then built in stages with the sales team using it from week three.
“Their competency, attention to details, and soft skills of business analysts were impressive.”
Anastasia Lobanova, SAP Analyst, Agrana
15 min
To price an order, from half a day
Week 3
Sales team using it live
ONGOING SUPPORT
AWS Australia
Window manufacturing · Rebuild + ongoing support
Product data accuracy
73% → 97.3%
When I joined: 73% correct
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Now: 97.3%, improving monthly
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Rebuilt the CMS
4.7
updates/week, from 0.3
Rebuilt a fragmented CMS into a platform the marketing team runs themselves. Content changes that took weeks now take minutes; fabricator reorders rose 34%.
“Decisions that would have taken weeks happened in a single meeting.”
Angela Bevitt-Parr, National Marketing Manager
+34%
Fabricator reorders
4.7/wk
Content updates, from 0.3
FRACTIONAL CTO
Sonnel Hospitality
Pub group, 8 venues · Data warehouse
Time to answer a question across all venues
Days → seconds
Warehouse went live
30 sec
down from 2–3 days
Built a real-time view across eight venues without replacing a single system. 100+ metrics live, 85% of reports now produced in-house, 99.6% uptime.
“Working with Halcrow is just like working with internal teams. We treat them as our own employees.”
David Bu, GM Finance, Sonnel
100+
Metrics live across 8 venues
85%
Reports now produced in-house
NEW BUILD
Acciona · WestConnex
Civil engineering, 7 km tunnel · New build
Field crew mapping output per shift
+70%
Platform went live
100%
reporting accuracy
Led the software capturing 15,000+ geological records across the tunnel. Compliance reports now take 8 minutes, and Acciona’s own IT team runs the platform.
“Halcrow’s process was a game changer.”
Thomas Roper, Senior Geotechnical Engineering Manager
15,000+
Geological records captured
8 min
To produce a compliance report
PROJECT RECOVERY
OzSnow
Ski holidays, 18 booking sites · Project recovery
Outages per month, ski season
0 after
When I took over
100%
uptime, ~40% lower hosting
Took over a booking platform that crashed every peak weekend. Isolated each site, made it scale on demand, and it ran the whole season without an outage.
“Halcrow took over an environment that was fragile and opaque, and made it resilient fast. A full season of 100% uptime.”
Matt Goodall, CEO, OzSnow
0
Outages all ski season
~40%
Lower hosting cost
NEW BUILD
Agrana
Food manufacturing, SAP-connected · New build
Time to price a customer order
–95%
Software went live
15 min
down from half a day
Sales priced orders by hand from SAP exports. We agreed the goal first (same-hour quotes), then built in stages with the sales team using it from week three.
“Their competency, attention to details, and soft skills of business analysts were impressive.”
Anastasia Lobanova, SAP Analyst, Agrana
15 min
To price an order, from half a day
Week 3
Sales team using it live
ONGOING SUPPORT
AWS Australia
Window manufacturing · Rebuild + ongoing support
Product data accuracy
73% → 97.3%
When I joined: 73% correct
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Now: 97.3%, improving monthly
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Rebuilt the CMS
4.7
updates/week, from 0.3
Rebuilt a fragmented CMS into a platform the marketing team runs themselves. Content changes that took weeks now take minutes; fabricator reorders rose 34%.
“Decisions that would have taken weeks happened in a single meeting.”
Angela Bevitt-Parr, National Marketing Manager
+34%
Fabricator reorders
4.7/wk
Content updates, from 0.3
FRACTIONAL CTO
Sonnel Hospitality
Pub group, 8 venues · Data warehouse
Time to answer a question across all venues
Days → seconds
Warehouse went live
30 sec
down from 2–3 days
Built a real-time view across eight venues without replacing a single system. 100+ metrics live, 85% of reports now produced in-house, 99.6% uptime.
“Working with Halcrow is just like working with internal teams. We treat them as our own employees.”
David Bu, GM Finance, Sonnel
100+
Metrics live across 8 venues
85%
Reports now produced in-house
NEW BUILD
Acciona · WestConnex
Civil engineering, 7 km tunnel · New build
Field crew mapping output per shift
+70%
Platform went live
100%
reporting accuracy
Led the software capturing 15,000+ geological records across the tunnel. Compliance reports now take 8 minutes, and Acciona’s own IT team runs the platform.
“Halcrow’s process was a game changer.”
Thomas Roper, Senior Geotechnical Engineering Manager
15,000+
Geological records captured
8 min
To produce a compliance report
PROJECT RECOVERY
OzSnow
Ski holidays, 18 booking sites · Project recovery
Outages per month, ski season
0 after
When I took over
100%
uptime, ~40% lower hosting
Took over a booking platform that crashed every peak weekend. Isolated each site, made it scale on demand, and it ran the whole season without an outage.
“Halcrow took over an environment that was fragile and opaque, and made it resilient fast. A full season of 100% uptime.”
Matt Goodall, CEO, OzSnow
0
Outages all ski season
~40%
Lower hosting cost
NEW BUILD
Agrana
Food manufacturing, SAP-connected · New build
Time to price a customer order
–95%
Software went live
15 min
down from half a day
Sales priced orders by hand from SAP exports. We agreed the goal first (same-hour quotes), then built in stages with the sales team using it from week three.
“Their competency, attention to details, and soft skills of business analysts were impressive.”
Anastasia Lobanova, SAP Analyst, Agrana
15 min
To price an order, from half a day
Week 3
Sales team using it live
ONGOING SUPPORT
AWS Australia
Window manufacturing · Rebuild + ongoing support
Product data accuracy
73% → 97.3%
When I joined: 73% correct
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Now: 97.3%, improving monthly
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Rebuilt the CMS
4.7
updates/week, from 0.3
Rebuilt a fragmented CMS into a platform the marketing team runs themselves. Content changes that took weeks now take minutes; fabricator reorders rose 34%.
“Decisions that would have taken weeks happened in a single meeting.”
Angela Bevitt-Parr, National Marketing Manager
+34%
Fabricator reorders
4.7/wk
Content updates, from 0.3
FRACTIONAL CTO
Sonnel Hospitality
Pub group, 8 venues · Data warehouse
Time to answer a question across all venues
Days → seconds
Warehouse went live
30 sec
down from 2–3 days
Built a real-time view across eight venues without replacing a single system. 100+ metrics live, 85% of reports now produced in-house, 99.6% uptime.
“Working with Halcrow is just like working with internal teams. We treat them as our own employees.”
David Bu, GM Finance, Sonnel
100+
Metrics live across 8 venues
85%
Reports now produced in-house
NEW BUILD
Acciona · WestConnex
Civil engineering, 7 km tunnel · New build
Field crew mapping output per shift
+70%
Platform went live
100%
reporting accuracy
Led the software capturing 15,000+ geological records across the tunnel. Compliance reports now take 8 minutes, and Acciona’s own IT team runs the platform.
“Halcrow’s process was a game changer.”
Thomas Roper, Senior Geotechnical Engineering Manager
15,000+
Geological records captured
8 min
To produce a compliance report
A bigger secret
We're a small but powerful team. I work with no more than a dozen clients at any time.
After the audit, what you do next is up to you. If you'd like to work together, I'll lead the project as your CTO and my engineering team will do the work. Here's what that looks like.
Before we build
We agree on what the software needs to achieve
More downloads, more repeat orders, fewer support calls, hours saved for your team. We set the goal first and measure the build against it.
Leadership
I make the technical decisions for you
Custom or off the shelf, which cloud provider, how it connects to your other software, whether AI belongs in it. I decide these before any code is written and explain why, so you're never confused.
During the build
You always know where it's up to
You deal directly with me and the developers working on your software. Daily check-ins mean there are no surprises. Ever.
how we build in 2026
Software is built differently now
It's 2026. Good engineering teams now use AI agents to write, test and check code. This is called agentic engineering, and it's how we build every project.
It means faster delivery and a lower bill for you.
Agents do the routine work
AI agents write and test code through a plan I set, one ticket at a time. You see every ticket.
Engineers check every change
A senior engineer reviews every change before it's released. Nothing goes live without a person signing off.
You pay for less time
Months of work lands in days. The difference goes into your budget, not my margin.
Launch
We roll it out in stages
My team builds in stages and gets your staff or customers using it early, so it fits the way they actually work.
After launch
We keep it working
My team keeps your software running, fixes issues as they come up and adds features as your business grows.
Security
The right level of security for your business
Not every product needs bank-level security. Some do. I'll work out what yours needs, and keep it in proportion to your risks and your budget.
You get the risks explained without jargon, so you can decide. If you want the technical detail, I'm happy to go as deep as you like.
Sensible basics, always
Encrypted data, two-factor sign-in and tested releases are standard on every project.
Risks you can understand
A short list of risks, what each could cost you, and what it takes to fix. You decide what to act on.
As technical as you want
If you or your team want the detail, I'll walk you through it. If you don't, I'll stick to the non-technical overview.
A bigger secret
We're a small but powerful team. I work with no more than a dozen clients at any time.
After the audit, what you do next is up to you. If you'd like to work together, I'll lead the project as your CTO and my engineering team will do the work. Here's what that looks like.
Before we build
We agree on what the software needs to achieve
More downloads, more repeat orders, fewer support calls, hours saved for your team. We set the goal first and measure the build against it.
Leadership
I make the technical decisions for you
Custom or off the shelf, which cloud provider, how it connects to your other software, whether AI belongs in it. I decide these before any code is written and explain why, so you're never confused.
During the build
You always know where it’s up to
You deal directly with me and the developers working on your software. Daily check-ins mean there are no surprises. Ever.
how we build in 2026
Software is built differently now
It's 2026. Good engineering teams now use AI agents to write, test and check code. This is called agentic engineering, and it's how we build every project.
It means faster delivery and a lower bill for you.
Agents do the routine work
AI agents write and test code through a plan I set, one ticket at a time. You see every ticket.
Engineers check every change
A senior engineer reviews every change before it's released. Nothing goes live without a person signing off.
You pay for less time
Months of work lands in days. The difference goes into your budget, not my margin.
Launch
We roll it out in stages
My team builds in stages and gets your staff or customers using it early, so it fits the way they actually work.
After launch
We keep it working
My team keeps your software running, fixes issues as they come up and adds features as your business grows.
Security
The right level of security for your business
Not every product needs bank-level security. Some do. I'll work out what yours needs, and keep it in proportion to your risks and your budget.
You get the risks explained without jargon, so you can decide. If you want the technical detail, I'm happy to go as deep as you like.
Sensible basics, always
Encrypted data, two-factor sign-in and tested releases are standard on every project.
Risks you can understand
A short list of risks, what each could cost you, and what it takes to fix. You decide what to act on.
As technical as you want
If you or your team want the detail, I'll walk you through it. If you don't, I'll stick to the non-technical overview.
A bigger secret
We're a small but powerful team. I work with no more than a dozen clients at any time.
After the audit, what you do next is up to you. If you'd like to work together, I'll lead the project as your CTO and my engineering team will do the work. Here's what that looks like.
Before we build
We agree on what the software needs to achieve
More downloads, more repeat orders, fewer support calls, hours saved for your team. We set the goal first and measure the build against it.
Leadership
I make the technical decisions for you
Custom or off the shelf, which cloud provider, how it connects to your other software, whether AI belongs in it. I decide these before any code is written and explain why, so you're never confused.
During the build
You always know where it’s up to
You deal directly with me and the developers working on your software. Daily check-ins mean there are no surprises. Ever.
how we build in 2026
Software is built differently now
It's 2026. Good engineering teams now use AI agents to write, test and check code. This is called agentic engineering, and it's how we build every project.
It means faster delivery and a lower bill for you.
Agents do the routine work
AI agents write and test code through a plan I set, one ticket at a time. You see every ticket.
Engineers check every change
A senior engineer reviews every change before it's released. Nothing goes live without a person signing off.
You pay for less time
Months of work lands in days. The difference goes into your budget, not my margin.
Launch
We roll it out in stages
My team builds in stages and gets your staff or customers using it early, so it fits the way they actually work.
After launch
We keep it working
My team keeps your software running, fixes issues as they come up and adds features as your business grows.
Security
The right level of security for your business
Not every product needs bank-level security. Some do. I'll work out what yours needs, and keep it in proportion to your risks and your budget.
You get the risks explained without jargon, so you can decide. If you want the technical detail, I'm happy to go as deep as you like.
Sensible basics, always
Encrypted data, two-factor sign-in and tested releases are standard on every project.
Risks you can understand
A short list of risks, what each could cost you, and what it takes to fix. You decide what to act on.
As technical as you want
If you or your team want the detail, I'll walk you through it. If you don't, I'll stick to the non-technical overview.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to everything you're thinking
What do I get from the free audit?
Do I need to know anything technical?
How much does it cost to build a mobile app?
Do you build for iOS and Android?
How long will it take?
Who builds my software, and who will I deal with?
Who owns the code?
Can you take over an app another developer started?
Do you look after the app after launch?
FREE AUDIT VALUED AT $4,000
The first step is a 30-minute discovery call
A free audit of your idea, your quotes, your build or your live software. It starts with a 30-minute video call with me, and ends with a roadmap and written recommendations you keep, whether or not we ever work together.
Kick off with a 30-minute call with me
FREE AUDIT VALUED AT $4,000
The first step is a 30-minute discovery call
A free audit of your idea, your quotes, your build or your live software. It starts with a 30-minute video call with me, and ends with a roadmap and written recommendations you keep, whether or not we ever work together.
Kick off with a 30-minute call with me
FREE AUDIT VALUED AT $4,000
The first step is a 30-minute discovery call
A free audit of your idea, your quotes, your build or your live software. It starts with a 30-minute video call with me, and ends with a roadmap and written recommendations you keep, whether or not we ever work together.
Kick off with a 30-minute call with me
Fractional CTO and engineering team for founders and business leaders. Sydney, Australia.
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